California, Hawaii and New York have all banned plastic bags on the state level. Only three states in the U.S. have passed laws banning single-use plastic bags as the global war on plastic production ...

Plastic waste is incredibly harmful to wildlife and the environment. Several U.S. states have taken action and banned the use of plastic bags as of 2026.

Researchers find that nationwide policies to ban plastic bags may be paying off, with fewer showing up during coastal cleanups. Ever since their invention in 1959, plastic bags have become synonymous ...

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. You might remember our food waste ...

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, grocery, pharmacy, liquor and convenience stores in California will not be able to provide any single-use thin plastic bags or even "reusable" plastic film bags. The updated ...

Once again, California’s decision makers are jockeying for political attention — and consumers will pay the price. Legislators have advanced Senate Bill 1053 and Assembly Bill 2236, seeking to ...

Despite the clear scientific evidence that plastic bag bans do more harm than good, New Jersey issued a ban on single-use plastic bags in 2022. The results were predictable. Consumers bought thicker, ...

On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that will close a legal loophole that has allowed for an increase in California’s plastic bag waste, despite a 2014 law that was designed to ban the ...

When Oregon banned retailers and restaurants from giving out plastic, single-use checkout bags in 2019, environmental groups hailed it as a big step forward in the fight against plastic waste. The ban ...

Ten years after California approved a plastic bag ban that’s been blamed for making its plastic bag problem worse, the state is banning single-use plastic grocery bags entirely. In 2014, California ...

New Jersey's S3398 aims to reduce single-use plastic packaging by 90% in two years. Critics argue the bill will increase consumer costs and stifle innovation. A study suggests the bill could add over ...